Today was my last full day in Auckland, and the last full day of my travels. I spent the day seeing more of Auckland, and to do this I went up in the Sky Tower. The Sky Tower says it is the highest viewing platform in the southern hemisphere. I'm not sure I believe this, as the Eureka Building in Melbourne also claims to be the highest in the southern hemisphere. Anyway, it offered great views of the city, and was a great place to see. The weather was gorgeous, and the sky was clear, so I could see a lot. I then went to Albert Park, which is a very beautiful park in the city. Since it's spring here, all the flowers were blooming, and it was very nice. This afternoon I took a harbor cruise. It was an hour and a half cruise around the harbor, and made a short stop at Rangitoto Island, which is a volcano. The cruise was great, because the weather was perfect for it, and it showed some great views of the city and the surrounding islands and stuff in the harbor.
Tomorrow I head home. My flight from Auckland is at 2pm (on Wednesday), so I have to be at the airport by noon. I have to take a 45 min shuttle, meaning I have to leave a little after 11. It's a 12 hour flight to LA, then a layover and flight to Seattle. I arrive in Seattle at 1pm on Wednesday, meaning I actually arrive an hour before I left....weird huh?
I've posted all the pictures from New Zealand, including skydiving pictures, so here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2222253&id=27216207&l=df1615eb60. Enjoy!!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
SKYDIVE!!!
On Saturday, we headed to Taupo, which was a very short drive, only a couple hours. I had planned to skydive in Taupo, and that's why I was staying there. The skydive was scheduled for Saturday afternoon, but the weather wasn't very good, so it was postponed until Sunday. It was kind of a letdown, because I had pumped myself up thinking I was going to be skydiving on Saturday, and then it didn't happen. But, the weather was a lot better on Sunday, so I was able to skydive!! It was awesome!! I wasn't that scared, not as scared as I thought. I jumped at 15,000 feet. There was one guy in the plane who jumped at 12,000 feet, and it wasn't until they opened the door and he jumped that I got scared. I had a really great partner, his name was Charley, and he totally knew what he was doing, which helped me a lot to not be scared. Plus, he does all the work so all you have to do is sit there and then he jumps out the plane, and you are going with him!! The freefall was 60 seconds and then he opened he parachute. During the freefall, it doesn't really feel like you are falling, it's like you are just laying down and a whole bunch of really really strong air is blowing in your face. Once the parachute is open, you get to look around, and the scenery was awesome! I can't even say how great it was! I have a DVD and pictures of it too.
Sunday afternoon, after the big jump, I took the bus to Rotorua. That night, I went to a Maori Cultural event and dinner. The Maori are the native people of New Zealand, and they performed some dances, and we had a dinner that was cooked in the ground. It was really good!!
Today (Monday) I took the bus to Auckland, the capital of New Zealand. In the afternoon I walked around a bit and took a ferry to Devonport, a little town across the harbour. It was a cute area, and I got some really good pictures of the Auckland skyline.
Tomorrow is my last full day in New Zealand! I can't believe how fast the trip has gone! I fly on Wednesday, first to LA, then to Seattle.
Sunday afternoon, after the big jump, I took the bus to Rotorua. That night, I went to a Maori Cultural event and dinner. The Maori are the native people of New Zealand, and they performed some dances, and we had a dinner that was cooked in the ground. It was really good!!
Today (Monday) I took the bus to Auckland, the capital of New Zealand. In the afternoon I walked around a bit and took a ferry to Devonport, a little town across the harbour. It was a cute area, and I got some really good pictures of the Auckland skyline.
Tomorrow is my last full day in New Zealand! I can't believe how fast the trip has gone! I fly on Wednesday, first to LA, then to Seattle.
Friday, September 11, 2009
The North Island
On Wednesday, I went on a Lord of the Rings Tour (yes, another one....yes, I'm a nerd). It was a really good tour. It went to the site of Edoras, the capital city of the Rohans in the second and third movies. The buildings and set are not there anymore, they had to take it all down at the end of filming, but the scenery is stunning. Wednesday night I flew from Christchurch to Wellington, which is on the north island. By flying, I saved two days and didn't have to repeat part of the trip by going to Kaikoura again. Wellington is the capital of New Zealand, and I spent Thursday exploring. I went to the Te Papa Museum of New Zealand, which was really cool, and saw the Parliament Building, and walked around downtown. Wellington is a pretty nice city, and the weather was really great.
Today, Friday, was spent back on the bus going to Napier. Napier is the Art Deco capital of New Zealand, and has some very cool architecture. It's also on the west coast, so the Pacific Ocean is right next to it.
Tomorrow it's off to Taupo, then on to Auckland. I can't believe how fast the trip has gone, and I can't believe I have less than a week before I head back home!
Today, Friday, was spent back on the bus going to Napier. Napier is the Art Deco capital of New Zealand, and has some very cool architecture. It's also on the west coast, so the Pacific Ocean is right next to it.
Tomorrow it's off to Taupo, then on to Auckland. I can't believe how fast the trip has gone, and I can't believe I have less than a week before I head back home!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Back in Christchurch
I'm back in Christchurch, which means I've now completed a loop of the South Island, since Christchurch is where I started in New Zealand. Tomorrow I fly to Wellington, which is on the North Island, so today is my last day on the South Island. I can't believe I only have one more week, the last two weeks in New Zealand have gone by so fast.
On Saturday, I left Queenstown on the bus and headed to Dunedin. I was kinda sad to leave Queenstown, as I really liked it. Dunedin was settled by the Scottish, so there is a lot of cool architecture, lots of stone buildings, and quite a few old churches. I stayed two nights in Dunedin, so I had a whole day to explore. I stayed at the Leviathan Hotel, and there was a rugby team staying in the hostel part of the hotel, so they gave us all rooms in the hotel part. It was wonderful! I had my own room, my own bathroom (which was in the room and not down the hall), and my own TV. On Saturday afternoon, I went on the Elm Wildlife Tour, and we saw fur seals, sea lions, and penguins. The penguins were the reason I wanted to go, and we saw two kinds, Yellow-eyed Penguins, and Blue Penguins. The Blue Penguins were all in nests, so we didn't get to see them outside, but the Yellow-eyed Penguins we got to see walk out of the water and across the beach. They are so cute when they move! My favorite part was when they would jump over stuff.
On Sunday, I walked around, and took pictures of several churches, and of the Railway Station, which is the second most photographed building in the Southern Hemisphere. I also went on a tour of the Cadbury Chocolate Factory. The Factory was closed, as it was a weekend, but we still were able to see the factory, and we got free chocolate.
Monday I took the bus from Dunedin to Lake Tekapo. Along the way we stopped at the Moerak Boulders. I've seen a lot of beaches and rock formations on the trip, so seeing another wasn't all that exciting. The Moeraki Boulders and completely round, and that's what makes them unique, so they were a little bit interesting to see. I am getting really spoiled about beaches though, when going to a beach doesn't excite me anymore. Lake Tekapo is a really really small town, with not a lot to do. We stayed at the Lakeside Hostel, which had some great views of the lake, and we had a BBQ with the people on the bus.
Today, Tuesday, I took the bus back to Christchurch. The weather again is really nice and warm. It's always nice to be back to a city you've been to previously, because even though you don't really know the city, it's nice to have your bearings a little bit, and feel like you know where you are going after being in strange cities for so long.
On Saturday, I left Queenstown on the bus and headed to Dunedin. I was kinda sad to leave Queenstown, as I really liked it. Dunedin was settled by the Scottish, so there is a lot of cool architecture, lots of stone buildings, and quite a few old churches. I stayed two nights in Dunedin, so I had a whole day to explore. I stayed at the Leviathan Hotel, and there was a rugby team staying in the hostel part of the hotel, so they gave us all rooms in the hotel part. It was wonderful! I had my own room, my own bathroom (which was in the room and not down the hall), and my own TV. On Saturday afternoon, I went on the Elm Wildlife Tour, and we saw fur seals, sea lions, and penguins. The penguins were the reason I wanted to go, and we saw two kinds, Yellow-eyed Penguins, and Blue Penguins. The Blue Penguins were all in nests, so we didn't get to see them outside, but the Yellow-eyed Penguins we got to see walk out of the water and across the beach. They are so cute when they move! My favorite part was when they would jump over stuff.
On Sunday, I walked around, and took pictures of several churches, and of the Railway Station, which is the second most photographed building in the Southern Hemisphere. I also went on a tour of the Cadbury Chocolate Factory. The Factory was closed, as it was a weekend, but we still were able to see the factory, and we got free chocolate.
Monday I took the bus from Dunedin to Lake Tekapo. Along the way we stopped at the Moerak Boulders. I've seen a lot of beaches and rock formations on the trip, so seeing another wasn't all that exciting. The Moeraki Boulders and completely round, and that's what makes them unique, so they were a little bit interesting to see. I am getting really spoiled about beaches though, when going to a beach doesn't excite me anymore. Lake Tekapo is a really really small town, with not a lot to do. We stayed at the Lakeside Hostel, which had some great views of the lake, and we had a BBQ with the people on the bus.
Today, Tuesday, I took the bus back to Christchurch. The weather again is really nice and warm. It's always nice to be back to a city you've been to previously, because even though you don't really know the city, it's nice to have your bearings a little bit, and feel like you know where you are going after being in strange cities for so long.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Queenstown
I've been in Queenstown for the past couple days. On Wednesday, I got to sleep in for the first time in quite a while, which was really nice. I didn't have anything planned for the day, so just walked around the downtown area of Queenstown, which has some great shopping, and went sunglasses shopping, since my old pair broke. I found a new pair at Sunglasses Hut, and I really like them. Queenstown is a really great place, I really like the downtown area, it's really cute, and it's right next to the lake, which is gorgeous with the mountains in the background. In the afternoon, I took the gondola up to the top of the mountain overlooking the city. It was really high, and the views were great. At the top, they have a little luge course, and I did that too. The luge is one you sit up on, and it has handle bars so you can steer and go faster or slower. It was really really fun. It was really cold though, my hand were freezing by the time I was done. It also snowed a little when I was at the top, that's how cold it is. It was fun to see snow though!
On Thursday, I was supposed to go to Milford Sound on a day trip. Milford Sound is supposed to be gorgeous, and where all the typical NZ scenery pictures are taken. However, the road to Milford Sound was closed because of avalance danger, so the trip was cancelled. So, the trip was rescheduled for the following day, Friday. Instead, I went on a Lord of the Rings Tour. It went to several places where filming took place, some of which are not on paved roads, so we went offroading a bit, including through some rivers. It was really fun, and cool to see where they filmed certain parts of the movie.
Today is now Friday, and I was supposed to go to Milford Sound today. However, the road was again closed, so the trip was again cancelled. I'm leaving Queenstown tomorrow, so unfortunately I'm not going to get to go to Milford Sound. So today is another relaxing day just hanging out in Queenstown. Queenstown is a good place to have an extra day though, and I'm enjoying having a couple more relaxing, slower paced days after spending the last week on the bus. Tomorrow I leave for Dunedin, and I'm hoping the weather warms up!
I've posted some pictures from New Zealand. Here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2222253&id=27216207&l=df1615eb60
On Thursday, I was supposed to go to Milford Sound on a day trip. Milford Sound is supposed to be gorgeous, and where all the typical NZ scenery pictures are taken. However, the road to Milford Sound was closed because of avalance danger, so the trip was cancelled. So, the trip was rescheduled for the following day, Friday. Instead, I went on a Lord of the Rings Tour. It went to several places where filming took place, some of which are not on paved roads, so we went offroading a bit, including through some rivers. It was really fun, and cool to see where they filmed certain parts of the movie.
Today is now Friday, and I was supposed to go to Milford Sound today. However, the road was again closed, so the trip was again cancelled. I'm leaving Queenstown tomorrow, so unfortunately I'm not going to get to go to Milford Sound. So today is another relaxing day just hanging out in Queenstown. Queenstown is a good place to have an extra day though, and I'm enjoying having a couple more relaxing, slower paced days after spending the last week on the bus. Tomorrow I leave for Dunedin, and I'm hoping the weather warms up!
I've posted some pictures from New Zealand. Here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2222253&id=27216207&l=df1615eb60
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The West Coast
On Sunday, we left Nelson and followed the west coast to Greymouth. Nelson is the sunshine capital of NZ, and gets the most days of sun of any other city, so it was very nice and warm when we left, and the weather steadily declined the further we went. The west coast has a rainforest, and gets a lot of rain. By the time we got to Greymouth, it was rainy and stormy. Along the way to Greymouth, we stopped several times to see the coast and take pictures. One of the stops was at the Pancake Rocks, which were pretty cool rocks that are compressed one on top of the other and look like pancakes. We also drove along the part of the coast where movies such as King Kong and Jurassic Park were filmed, because the coast is pretty empty, with no houses.
Greymouth is a really small town, with not a lot to do, and since it was raining, no one wanted to go outside anyway. We took a tour of the Monteith Brewery that night, followed by sampling their beer and wine, and then to a BBQ. It was a fun night, and I hung out with some of the people traveling on the bus.
Monday we left Greymouth and traveled to Franz Josef. Along the way, we stopped at a small town called Ross, which is a gold mining town, and is really really small. We arrived in Franz Josef around noon, so had the afternoon. Franz Josef has a glacier and that's the main attraction in the town. That afternoon, I did a glacier hike, where we got to hike on the glacier. We had to wear really thick water proof boots, and crampons, which are the spikes that go over your boots. It was really cool to be able to walk on the ice, and walk through some of the crevices. The hike they take you on changes regularly, and the guide said the one we did was the best he's ever seen.
September 1st is the first day of spring for New Zealand. It didn't feel like spring today as we travelled from Franz Josef to Queenstown, and it rained pretty much the whole way. We travelled through a lot of really pretty country, and it would have been nicer if it was clear instead of cloudy and rainy, but it was still great. We passed some mountains with snow on them that was the location for the filming of the Lord of the Rings snow scenes. We also passed Lake Wanaka, which is the longest lake in NZ. We arrived in Queenstown this afternoon and I walked around a little, but didn't do much, as I have two full days in Queenstown. Queenstown is the adventure capital of the world, and you can go skydiving, bungy jumping, skiing, anything like that. I don't think I'll be doing any of that, but it's still an exciting town, and the area around it is gorgeous, with snow covered mountains and a lake. It's really cold here though, probably the coldest weather so far, but it is just the end of winter.
Greymouth is a really small town, with not a lot to do, and since it was raining, no one wanted to go outside anyway. We took a tour of the Monteith Brewery that night, followed by sampling their beer and wine, and then to a BBQ. It was a fun night, and I hung out with some of the people traveling on the bus.
Monday we left Greymouth and traveled to Franz Josef. Along the way, we stopped at a small town called Ross, which is a gold mining town, and is really really small. We arrived in Franz Josef around noon, so had the afternoon. Franz Josef has a glacier and that's the main attraction in the town. That afternoon, I did a glacier hike, where we got to hike on the glacier. We had to wear really thick water proof boots, and crampons, which are the spikes that go over your boots. It was really cool to be able to walk on the ice, and walk through some of the crevices. The hike they take you on changes regularly, and the guide said the one we did was the best he's ever seen.
September 1st is the first day of spring for New Zealand. It didn't feel like spring today as we travelled from Franz Josef to Queenstown, and it rained pretty much the whole way. We travelled through a lot of really pretty country, and it would have been nicer if it was clear instead of cloudy and rainy, but it was still great. We passed some mountains with snow on them that was the location for the filming of the Lord of the Rings snow scenes. We also passed Lake Wanaka, which is the longest lake in NZ. We arrived in Queenstown this afternoon and I walked around a little, but didn't do much, as I have two full days in Queenstown. Queenstown is the adventure capital of the world, and you can go skydiving, bungy jumping, skiing, anything like that. I don't think I'll be doing any of that, but it's still an exciting town, and the area around it is gorgeous, with snow covered mountains and a lake. It's really cold here though, probably the coldest weather so far, but it is just the end of winter.
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